It was a busy Saturday afternoon at the Willowbank Estate in Queenston, as the School of Restoration Arts opened its doors to the public, inviting them to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its foundation and learn more about how the school works to provide a rare education experience in Canada.

The school held an open house celebration at its campus, located in the 19th-century estate home. The day featured live heritage demonstrations, an artisan market, children’s activities and a tour of the school’s Indigenous Love Garden.

The school also marked a milestone in its ongoing fundraising efforts to revitalize and modernize parts of the Willowbank mansion, built in 1836.

The Government of Canada has committed to matching up to $193,000 of funds Willowbank raises, creating the potential for about $386,000 to be used to stabilize the building’s northwest wall and install an internal fire stair that will provide access to the third floor.

This month, donations from organizations such as the James A. Burton & Family Foundation and the NOTL Rotary Club saw the school hit $163,000 in funds raised.

Katie Houghton, Willowbank’s executive director, said it is rewarding to see the government recognize it’s work.

“Not only are we a school, but we’re part of the broader community here in NOTL,” she said. “In getting into that third floor, we’re looking forward to making this more of a community hub.”

The Burton foundation donated $70,000 of the funds raised, while the Rotary Club donated $5,000.

Fundraising will not end when the $193,000 goal is reached, Houghton said.

“As we try to broaden our reach and make the site more interactive and accessible for the community, obviously we need to invest in making those spaces available,” she said. “There’s endless things we could be doing at Willowbank.”

Houghton said she hopes the third floor will be used by the community during the summer months following the end of term in April.

Julian Smith, Willowbank’s former board chair, was instrumental in creating the school’s curriculum in the mid-2000s, which combines academic learning with hands-on action.

“I think that’s what makes Willowbank so distinctive,” he said

In the 20th century, jobs and vocations were labelled as blue-collar, white-collar and grey-collar, Smith said.

“Willowbank was set up to address the way we divided the world into little boxes and really create a model for people to understand how places and communities are created.”

Willowbank is one of a handful of conservation programs operating in the country offering hands-on experience, among programs at institutes such as the College of New Caledonia in British Columbia, Athabasca University in Alberta, Holland Collge in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia Community College.

More than 95 per cent of Willowbank’s graduates are fully employed in the heritage restoration field, Smith said.

Heritage plaster conservator Magali Furieri, a former Willowbank student, was at the open house giving a demonstration involving the work she does at Iconoplast Designs.

“Our work takes us from restoration to preservation to conservation,” she said.

After graduating from the school, Furieri now works in residential and heritage-designated locations, including Massey Hall and Prince Edward Island’s old courthouse.

Over the last 20 years, Willowbank’s curriculum has increasingly focused on sustainability practices.

Jim Mountain, the school’s co-dean of education, said the buildings being worked on in the restoration field are older and therefore prone to climate change.

“As time has evolved, there’s been a climate change factor worked into the curriculum,” he said.

Smith also noted the school’s increased focus on Indigenous teachings.

“That part of the curriculum is much more just a central part of how we teach.”

Those interested in supporting Willowbank’s continued fundraising efforts can visit willowbank.ca/donate.

juliasacco@niagaranow.com